Man gets 24-year sentence for robbery

Prosecutors contend Bryant Wilburn held a cashier at knifepoint and ran away with cash, but left behind a fingerprint that helped police link him to the Nov. 5, 2012, robbery. It happened at the Marathon, a convenience store and gasoline station located at 501 8th St.

Assistant prosecutor Kellie Neal said Wilburn matched the description of a man who entered the store and roamed the aisles, before dropping bag of Jolly Rancher candies at the counter and demanding cash from the female clerk. He fled with $95 cash, Neal told the court.

Wilburn apologized to those involved and blamed the incident on drugs. The self-described heroin and crack cocaine addict recalled being intoxicated at the time and only remembered running from the store. Ferguson said drug use was no defense and sentenced him to prison.

"It's a choice we make," Wilburn told the court, agreeing drug use was not a viable excuse. "(Drugs) have ruined my life, and my family's life."

Ferguson referenced Wilburn's rap sheet, which includes two prior robbery convictions. He particularly mentioned a letter Wilburn wrote to a previous circuit judge in 2003 and urged the defendant to change his life. Wilburn must serve six years before gaining eligibility for parole consideration.

"You've got to do something with your life," Ferguson said. "God didn't put you on this Earth to be in and out of jail."

In an unrelated case last week, Ferguson ordered Cortland Wilmont to a 1- to 5-year prison sentence, according to court filings. The 23-year-old from Huntington had pleaded guilty to conspiracy.

A January 2012 indictment initially charged Wilmont with two counts possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and a single count of conspiracy.

Comments

The Herald-Dispatch welcomes your comments on this article, but please be civil. Avoid profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, accusations of criminal activity, name-calling or insults to the other posters. Herald-dispatch.com does not control or monitor comments as they are posted, but if you find a comment offensive or uncivil, hover your mouse over the comment and click the X that appears in the upper right of the comment. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal Facebook page, uncheck the box below the comment.